Lock for flat knitting machine



Dec. 4, 1962 o. KEMPF LOCK FOR FLAT KNITTING MACHINE Filed Feb. 10, 1961 Fig.3

Fig.6

//V Vf/VTUK 05/641? KIA/1 F 3,066,509 L'JCK FUR FLAT KNITTING MACHINE @skar Kempt, Rorschach, Switzerland, assignor to August Beiz, Rorschach, Switzerland Filed Feb. 10, 1961, Ser. No. 88,453 Claims priority, application Switzerland Feb. 12, 1960 2 Claims. (Cl. 66--75) The present invention relates to a cam system for a flat knitting machine having shiftable needle lifter cams which by their position determine the stroke of the needles and accordingly the kind of the knitting.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide a universal cam system which can be readily adjusted from one kind of knitting to a different one, dispensing with a plurality of pivot pins or slider rods for its adjustment.

With these and other objects in view which will be come apparent later from this specification and the accompanying drawing, I provide a cam system for flat knitting machines comprising in combination: needles having feet, stationary earns and movable cams engaging the feet of the said needles and determining the lifting stroke thereof, lateral pins integral with the said movable cams, a slotted cam disc having lateral grooves engaged by the said pins and having rest notches, a spring biased pawl resiliently engaging the said rest notches, and means for turning the said cam disc from a position in which one of the said rest notches is engaged by the said pawl to another position in which another one of said rest notches is engaged by said pawl, the kind of knitting being varied by the turning of said cam disc.

Preferably at least a part of the said movable cams is movable parallel to the said stationary cams, and in all positions of the said cam disc forming slots guiding the said feet or" the needles from both sides.

These and other features of my said invention will be readily understood from the following description of a preferred embodiment given by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevation of the cam disc with five different working positions;

FIG. 2 is an elevation of the components of the cam system for a fiat type links and links machine in the position for change-over of the needles from one needle bed to the other;

FIG. 3 shows the lock components of FIG. 2 in the tuck position;

FIG. 4 shows the lock components of FIG. 2 in the knitting position for producing ribbed goods;

FIG. 5 shows the lock components of FIG. 2 in the setting for knitting tuck or cardigan stitch goods and FIG. 6 shows the lock components of FIG. 2 in the position for knitting tubular stock.

The cam disc 3 (FIG. 1) is mounted in the lock plate 1 (FIG. 2) for rotation about the axle 2. It is provided with five notches 13, which permit detaining the same by means of a spring biased pawl 14 (shown diagrammaticaliy only) relative to the indexing pointer in the five positions indicated by the lines A to E. In the cam disc 3 two closed slotted cam tracks 4, are pro vided, which are engaged by guide pins 6, 7, 8 connected to needle lifter cams 9, Iii, 11 (FIG. 2). The guide pins 6, I, 8 reach through the lock plate 1 by way of slots atent 3,066,509 Patented Dec. 4, 1962- 12 and 12a indicated in dotted lines. The slot 12a is engaged by the two pins 6, 7 and the slot 12 by the pin 8. By turning the cam disc 3 into the five positions A to E the movable needle lifter cams 9, 10 and 11 are shifted into the positions illustrated in the FIGS. 2 to 6, the actually preceding position of the cam system being eliaced by turning the cam disc further.

The components 15 and 16 of the cam system are rigidly connected to the lock plate 1. Between the moveable cam 11 of the system and the lock plate 1 a spring 17 (FIG. 5) is arranged, which pulls the left hand side half of the cam 11 in the position lifted ofi the cam 4, towards this cam 4, as illustrated in FIG. 5.

Furthermore the cam 18 is mounted pivotally about a pin 19 fixed to the lock plate 1. The component 18 is biased by a spring 20 against an extension 15a of the component 15, and maybe swung in clockwise sense against the bias of the spring 20 (compare FIG. 6).

When the cam disc 3 is held in position relative to the indexing means 0, there results a position of the system according to FIG. 2. The lifter carns 9 and 11 lie with their bases fixedly on the stationary cam 15, and the needle sliders take their way through the channel between the cam 16 and the cam 19 in both directions as indicated by a dot and dash line and by arrows. The needle sliders are driven out furthest, and in this position of the system the change-over of the needles from one needle bed to the other is effected. By turning the cam disc into the position B on the indexing means 0 the previous path between the cams is closed, in that the cams 9 and 11 (FIG. 3) are raised and open a channel for the tucking position in both directions. When the cam disc is turned further in the same sense until the notch of the position C coincides with the indexing means 0, the cam 11 is lowered onto the stationary cam 15, closes the previous path and imparts to the needle sliders an outward drive for the rib knitting position (FIG. 4). When position D is latched in on the indexing means 0, the guide pin 6 of the cam 11 is within the enlarged part of the slotted cam and can move freely. By means of the spring 17 which imparts an inclined position to the cam 11 a pendulum movement of the needles is induced in that the needle sliders on the movement of the carriage from the right to the left move over the cam 11 in the direction indicated by arrow into the rib position and on the movement of the carriage from left to right move underneath the cam 11, thereby forcing the same up, for the passage into the tucking position.

When the position E is made to register with the indexing means 0, the cam 10 is lowered, and the lifter cam 11 is lowered onto the face of the cam 15. As a result a passageway is opened to the needle sliders over the lock component 15 for the movement of the carriage from the left to the right, while in the carriage movement from right to left the needle sliders pass underneath the stationary cam 15 and accordingly remain in a rest position. The pivotally mounted cam 18 is swung downward (compare FIG. 6). By turning the cam disc from one notch to another the cams are released from any position to which they may have been previously set.

While I have herein described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing what may be considered a typical and particularly useful embodiment of my said invention, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to the particular details and dimensions described and illustrated; for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. Lock for flat knitting machines of the type employing needles provided with feet guided in said lock, said lock comprising stationary cams and movable needle lifting cams for determining the lifting stroke and defining a needle guide channel with portions of said stationary cams, a cam disc having a flat surface presenting guiding slots and having rest notches disposed circumferentially thereof, each said movable cam disc having a pin extending into one said guiding slot, a pawl including spring biasing means biasing said pawl into engagement with the circumference of said disc and with alternate ones of saidnotches, means for turning said cam disc to different angular positions for engagement by said pawl.

2. Lock for fiat knitting machines of the type employing needles provided with feet guided in said lock, said lock comprising stationary cams and movable needle lifting cams for determining the lifting stroke and defining a needle guide channel with portions of said stationary cams, a cam disc having a flat surface presenting guiding slots and having rest notches disposed circumferentially thereof, each said movable cam disc having a pin extending into one said guiding slot, a pawl including spring biasing means biasing said pawl into engagement with the circumference of said disc and with alternate ones of said notches, means for turning said cam disc to different angular positions for engagement by said pawl, said needle lifting cams being movable in a plane and parallel to said stationary cams.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,012,424 Wullitnan Dec. 12, 1961 

